Listen Up Manchester had a catch up with Brad from Canada's The Barr Brothers:

 

 

 

LUM:  Firstly welcome back to the UK - Am I right in saying this will be your 3rdtime playing in Manchester?

 

BB:  3rd time's a charm.

 

 

LUM:  What are your memories from your previous visits to Manchester & the UK?

 

BB:  We had such a good time in Manchester last time, memories are few and far between. We've got fond memories from just about everywhere we've played in England. I'd say End of the Road Festival, which was really our introduction to a UK audience, holds a tender place in our hearts. Its so well done, the way the integrate art and nature and community and really great music. We've had some really memorable shows in London and one wonderful night in Middlesboro. And our last time in Manchester was so fun--The Castle...great little room, had a wonderful time. 

 

 

LUM:  Your 2nd album (Sleeping Operator) was released just over 3 months ago – how has the reaction been to it so far?

 

BB:  I'd say its been great. No complaints regarding reactions.

 

 

LUM:  Have you enjoyed playing these songs live?

 

BB:  We have. It took a minute to figure out how to pull them off live, as some of these songs have pretty ambitious arrangements. But now that we've been touring then a bit, we're really getting loose with them. They're starting to feel the way songs should -- able to open up 

 

 

LUM:  It feels like a much more varied selection of songs on this album, was it a deliberate songwriting choice to make it different from the first album?

 

BB:  No, not deliberate. We recorded a lot of material for this record, and ran with the tracks that felt the most live. Interesting to hear, though, that it sounds more varied than the first record. We thought the first one was pretty varied, stylistically, and aimed for more continuity on this one. That was the reason we decided to work with our friend Ryan Freeland, the engineer for Sleeping Operator. We were looking for a strong guiding influence at the basic tracking level. But its possible that in aiming for a thing, we inevitably arrived at a different thing. Our first record had no aim at all, other than try and make something we were proud of and entertain ourselves.

 

 

LUM:  What was your general approach to writing and recording this album?

 

BB:  Write the song(usually on my own), arrange the song(usually together), record the song, see if the song need edits and/or overdubs and do that, mix it. Sometimes I'll work on a song for a few weeks, sometimes for a few years. But ultimately, the recording of that song should feel like a fleeting moment

 

 

LUM:  I first heard your music via the Seattle based radio station KEXP (on the internet) soon after the release of your first album. And notice you were back there for another session in December. How has it been to have such supporters as KEXP who have a widespread audience?

 

BB:  Don't forget to throw the BBC in there! We consider those guys(KEXP) friends and are lucky to have them, and anyone with that kind of influence and reach, on our side.

 

 

LUM:  Can you tell us a little about how the Barr Brothers band came about and what bought your previous band (the Slip) to an end?

 

BB:  The idea of beginnings and/or endings has never really sat well with me. In regards to The Slip, we sort of morphed out of a high school band, toured for a decade, and its never been declared "over", just on hold. Regarding The Barr Brothers, we sort of morphed out of some early experiments with friends and casual music making.  Andrew, Sarah, and myself first started recording and playing shows, around 2008-9, with our friend Miles Perkin on bass. That's the closest thing to the beginning for this band.

 

 

LUM:  How is the music scene in Canada at the moment? Any upcoming bands/artists you can recommend?

 

BB:  You should definitely check out Suuns, Little Scream, Plants and Animals, Patrick Wataon, Leif Vollebekk, to name a few. We love living there and being a part of the many circles of friends and musicians.

 

 

LUM:  As a band what have your proudest achievements been todate?

 

BB:  The fact that we've persevered together after spending the better part of the last 5 years on the road feels like an achievement. Granted, 5 years is not such a long time in the scope of a band'a lifetime, but I think we all wondered, early on, if it would even be possible to tour the way we wanted to tour, with the harp and all our ambitious undertakings. We're still trying to figure it out, that's what makes it fun still!

 

 

LUM:  So, whats next for the Barr Brothers after this tour?

 

BB:  More tour! We also hope to release some of the songs from the Sleeping Operator seasons on some companion EPs in the Spring and Fall. Hoping we can make that happen 

 

 

LUM:  Thank you for spending the time to answer our questions and we hope the tour goes well